Pay as You Drive isn’t a new concept, but it’s one we’re looking to pioneer here in Australia because we know that lower kilometre drivers are paying too much for their insurance.

KOBA uses real-time driving data, connecting the vehicle’s on-board computer to a smartphone app which records when and how far you drive and then charges a consistent per-kilometre rate for comprehensive insurance coverage.

This is entirely different from existing so-called ‘pay-as-you-drive’ policies which offer reduced annual fees if you nominate to drive less than a predetermined distance each year.

While those companies will charge more if you happen to exceed that figure, they typically won’t provide a refund if you drive less.

KOBA, on the other hand, charges for the actual distance you drive.

At KOBA, we want to be transparent with our customers about how our insurance costs are broken down so we have very clear pricing that genuinely rewards lower K’s.

Every KOBA customer has two calculations:

1. A upfront fixed cost – this covers your car while it’s parked from incidents such as fire, theft, hail or 3rd party damage. The fixed cost includes the KOBA Admin fee which helps to cover the costs of collecting, transmitting and storing your vehicle data. This fee is always payable upfront. 
2. A per-km-rate – the cost per kilometre you drive, covering the incidents that can occur while you’re driving. This cost is calculated at the end of each month and is your per-km-rate x the number of km you’ve driven. (as measured through your KOBA Rider or Uber Carshare Instant Keys GPS device). 

What is a KOBA Rider or Uber Carshare Instant Keys GPS device?

KOBA uses a special Onboard Device (OBD-II) that plugs directly into your onboard computer and syncs with our KOBA App. This measures your KM driven and powers our App.

KOBA offers the same type of comprehensive car insurance you’re used to, just with transparent pricing. Comprehensive insurance means we cover loss or damage to your car (up to the Agreed Value) as well as your liability for damage you might cause to other people’s property (up to $20m).

There’s loads of additional benefits included, such as:

/ Baby capsules + child seats

/ Emergency repairs

/ Emergency travel + accommodation

/ Hire car or Alternative transport after theft

/ Locks + keys

/ New replacement car

/ Personal items

/ Towing + storage

/ Trailer cover

KOBA also offers some additional features, but these will cost extra if you want them included in your coverage:

/ Hire car or Alternative transport cover

/ Excess-free glass claim

Of course, there are terms, limits, conditions & exclusions that apply so you should always read the PDS & FSG to understand the details of our cover.

KOBA Insurance customers pay for their insurance differently vs. traditional car insurance brands.

To make sure you only pay for what you use, every KOBA customer has two calculations:

1. An Upfront Fixed cost: this covers your car while it’s parked from incidents like fire, theft, and hail for example. This upfront fixed cost also includes the KOBA admin fee which helps to cover our costs of collecting, transmitting and storing your vehicle data.

2. A per-km-rate: the cost per kilometre you drive which is the basis of your Driving premium. This cost is calculated at the end of each month and is your per-km-rate multiplied by the number of km you’ve driven in that month (as measured through your KOBA Rider, or Uber Carshare Instant Keys GPS device).

Nope!

Once you download the app, you can get accounts of the number of km driven almost instantly, so no need to manually record anything. The KOBA Rider automatically creates a ledger of every trip, location, distance, time, and date.

In the app, you can scroll through each days trips and see the aggregated totals every month through the App.

It’s easy to plug in through your car’s OBD-II port (all car’s manufactured after 2006 have one), just follow the steps below, or see our video here.

/ To plug in your Rider:

• Put your car in park. Handbrake on + ignition off
• Look under your car’s dashboard for the OBD-II connector port + plug in your KOBA Rider. This measures your km driven and powers our app in real-time
• Your OBD-II port is likely in 1 of the 3 locations (see below), but almost always under the steering wheel on the drivers side

Once you’ve found the OBD-II port, the KOBA Rider works like a plug. Line up the pins and push it into the socket like you would a normal plug in the wall. A light should appear (it could be green, amber or red) which means you’re connected!

/ Why did I receive an optional extension cord in the post?

When we send you the KOBA Rider in the mail, we also include an optional extension cable.

For most customers, the KOBA Rider can plug directly into the OBD-II port. For a small number of customers, the OBD-II port may be behind a panel, so the extension cable will come in handy to help them plug it in. 

1. Assess if you need to use the cable. You will likely need it if the OBD port is behind a panel.
2. Open the panel.
3. Plug the male end of the cord into the OBD Port.
4. Plug the female end the KOBA Rider.
5. You should now be able to close the panel.
6. Use the velcro strips to attach the cord to the car so it is safely out of the driver’s way. 

I’ve connected my Rider, what next?

Download our mobile app and securely access your trips, costs + policy docs almost instantly.

Please read our PDS & FSG and Terms of Business for Conditions of Use.

When we send you the KOBA Rider in the mail, we also include an optional extension cable.

For most customers, the KOBA Rider can plug directly into the OBD-II port. For a small number of customers, the OBD-II port may be behind a panel, so the extension cable will come in handy to help them plug it in. 

How to install:

1. Assess if you need to use the cable.  You will likely need it if the OBD port is behind a panel.
2. Open the panel
3. Plug the male end of the cord into the OBD Port.
4. Plug the female end the KOBA Rider.
5. You should now be able to close the panel.
6. Use the velcro strips to attach the cord to car so it is not in the drivers way.

We see a low usage driver as someone who drives under the National average of 12,600KM per year, which we source from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

This likely means you work close to home, WFH, live in cities or have a car but don’t use it everyday. Our policies are perfect for low usage drivers because we only charge you for what you use; the less you drive, the less you pay.